Crotalus mitchellii muertensis

Crotalus mitchellii muertensis is a venomous pitviper subspecies^[4][5] endemic to El Muerto Island, Mexico. It is sometimes treated as a full species, Crotalus muertensis.^[1]

Crotalus mitchellii muertensis
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Crotalus
Species:	C. mitchellii
Subspecies:	C. m. muertensis
Trinomial name
Crotalus mitchellii muertensis Klauber, 1949
Synonyms
Crotalus mitchellii muertensis Klauber, 1949 Crotalus mitchelli [sic] muertensis – Klauber, 1949 Crotalus mitchellii muertensis – McCrystal & McCoid, 1986[2]

Common names: El Muerto Island speckled rattlesnake.^[3]

Description

A dwarfed form, adults grow to a maximum length of 63.7 centimetres (25.1 in).^[3]

Geographic range

Known only from the type locality,^[3] which is "El Muerto Island, Gulf of California, Mexico."^[2]

Habitat

It is common in all habitats within the El Muerto Island: rocks and rubble of talus slopes, scrub, hill ridges, and the intertidal zone.^[1]

Conservation status

This species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.^[1] Species are listed as such due to their wide distribution, presumed large population, or because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.^[6]